Gerald M. Steinberg is an
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i academic and political scientist.
Biography
Gerald M. Steinberg obtained his doctorate in government from Cornell University, in 1981. M.A. Government Department, Cornell University, 1978. M.Sc. Physics Department, University of California, San Diego, 1975. B.A. University of California, Berkeley, Departments of Physics and Near Eastern Studies, 1973.
Academic and journalism career
Steinberg is a Professor of
Political SciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Bar Ilan University and the founder of the Program on Conflict Management and Negotiation. He specializes in
international relationsInternational relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
,
strategyStrategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
,
arms controlArms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction...
(including proliferation, the
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian
nuclearNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
program, and the NPT regime), regional
diplomacyDiplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
and peace process negotiations, "soft power", the politics of
human rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and NGOs.
He is a columnist for the Jerusalem Post, and frequently publishes guest articles in the
Financial TimesThe Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
,
International Herald TribuneThe International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
and others. He also is an expert analyst for
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
,
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
,
NPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and others.
Civil society activities
Steinberg is founder and president of
NGO MonitorNGO Monitor is a non-governmental organization based in Jerusalem, Israel whose stated aim is to generate and distribute critical analysis and reports on the output of the international NGO community for the benefit of government policy makers, journalists, philanthropic organizations and the...
. He has also been a fellow of
Jerusalem Center for Public AffairsThe Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a public policy think tank devoted to research and analysis of critical issues facing the Middle East. The center is located in Jerusalem, Israel...
; member of the Steering Committee of Forum on Antisemitism at the Office of the Prime Minister (Israel); member of the International Academic Board for
The Israel Law ReviewThe Israel Law Review is the oldest Israeli law journal published in English. In , it is referred to as being among "the most prestigious of scholarly journals".-History:...
and of the Academic Board for
Menachem Begin Heritage CenterThe Menachem Begin Heritage Center is the official state memorial commemorating Menachem Begin, Israel’s sixth Prime Minister. The Center is located on the Hinnom Ridge, overlooking Mount Zion and walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.-The museum:...
; Israel Representative at the Mediterranean Seminar Program, Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and participant, “Track two” meetings on the Middle East peace process, and of the Research team at United Nations University Project on Conflict Resolution, Democracy and Peace; Academic Council, Australia-Israel and Jewish Affairs Council and Canadian Institute for Jewish Research; he was a contributor to
Israel at the Polls (the peace process and Israel-American relations) 1988-2004.
Steinberg has been a long time critic of the organization
Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
. Writing in a 2004 Jerusalem Post article he said,
"HRW's press statement exposes it as a biased political organization hiding behind the rhetoric of human rights." Later he goes on to accuse HRW of
"exploiting the rhetoric of human rights to delegitimize Israel."
Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
in turn accused Steinberg of "
sleight of handSleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
" in his reporting of its activities, and of conveniently ignoring its condemnations of Palestinian militant actions and of not mentioning inconvenient facts.
News articles and published articles
- Selling Out to Soros, New York Post, September 13, 2010
- Will 5771 be the year of pragmatic peace?, Canadian Jewish News, September 08, 2010
- The war against Israel, The Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2010
- Not Quite Free, Jerusalem Post, April 13, 2010
- Israel’s right to self-defense, The Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2010
- Day to mourn, not celebrate, human rights, The Australian, December 14, 2009